[21] Other sources report that she died at 51. The duke was canny enough to thwart the easygoing Justinian instead of the unforgiving Theodora. In 528, construction began on the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, built as an imperial church on the outskirts of the Byzantine Empire.
Various other historians presented additional information on her life. [21] Later accounts frequently attribute the death to breast cancer, although it was not identified as such in the original report where the use of the term "cancer" probably referred to "a suppurating ulcer or malignant tumor".
"Brothels, Baths and Babes: Prostitution in the Byzantine Holy Land", Zur Funktion der Theodora-Rede im Geschichtswerk Prokops (BP 1,24,33-37), Ancient History Encyclopedia – Empress Theodora, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theodora_(6th_century)&oldid=984587598, Burials at the Church of the Holy Apostles, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox royalty with unknown parameters, Articles with dead external links from March 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Theodora is the leader for the Byzantines in the video game, Theodora gives missions to Belisarius, the main character in the Last Roman DLC for, This page was last edited on 20 October 2020, at 22:45. • The artwork The Dinner Party features a place setting for Theodora. Anecdota (The Secret History), c. 550; published posthumously. The main historical sources for her life are the works of her contemporary Procopius. During a procession in 559, Justinian visited and lit candles for her tomb.[23]. (Photo: © Donald Woodman), Judy Chicago (American, b. The same law stated that daughters of these actresses would also be free to marry a man of any rank, which would have allowed her illegitimate daughter (whose name has been lost) to marry one of the previous emperor Anastasius' relatives. Theodora (/ˌθiːəˈdɔːrə/; Greek: Θεοδώρα; c. 500 – 28 June 548) was an Eastern Roman empress by marriage to Emperor Justinian. Olbia in Cyrenaica renamed itself Theodorias after Theodora. The Dinner Party (Theodora place setting), 1974–79. Instead, Theodora spoke out, preferring to die a ruler than to be removed from power, and her courage prompted Justinian to send in troops to calm the rebels. A mosaic-like halo is embroidered on the runner, the plate resting in its center, which references the halo in the Ravenna mosaic and associates Theodora with both her imperial reign and her religious work. May I never be deprived of this purple robe, and may I never see the day when those who meet me do not call me empress.
In my opinion, flight is not the right course, even if it should bring us to safety. The Wars of Justinian, largely completed in 545, paints a picture of a courageous and influential empress who saved the throne for Justinian. He sought to maintain the same level of freedom for women, setting a precedent for women’s equality. Procopius of Caesarea (b.
As a result, Justinian ordered his loyal troops, led by the officers, Belisarius and Mundus, to attack the demonstrators in the hippodrome, killing (according to Procopius) over 30,000 rebels. This 6th century mosaic is from the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna. Justinian is depicted as cruel, venal, prodigal and incompetent; as for Theodora, the reader is given a detailed portrayal of vulgarity and underage sex, combined with shrewish and calculating mean-spiritedness; Procopius even claims both are demons whose heads were seen to leave their bodies and roam the palace at night. She became empress upon Justinian's accession in 527 and was one of his chief advisers, albeit from humble origins. Unable to control the mob, Justinian and his officials prepared to flee. Stereotypes of Women in Power: Historical Perspectives and Revisionist Views.
Theodora worked against her husband's support of Chalcedonian Christianity in the ongoing struggle for the predominance of each faction.
Interpretations that Justinian never forgot that it was Theodora who had saved his throne depend on seeing Procopius' account as a straightforward report, and not framed to impugn Justinian with the implication that he was more cowardly than his wife. She is speculated by some to have met Patriarch Timothy III in Alexandria, who was Miaphysite, and it may be at that time that she converted to Miaphysite Christianity. They simply showed their respect by lying face down and touching the instep of each of her feet with their lips; there was no opportunity to speak or to make any request unless she told them to do so. Theodora died in 548, but her influence was apparent in Justinian’s subsequent rule. ' 'The Empress Theodora and Retinue,'' Basilica of San Vitale, 547 San Vitale have the mosaic of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. He lived under her protection and, after her death in 548, under Justinian's.
Justinian had been determined that they be converted to the Chalcedonian faith and Theodora equally determined that they should be Miaphysites. Anthimus had been appointed Patriarch of Constantinople under her influence, and after the excommunication order he was hidden in Theodora's quarters for twelve years, until her death. 1971; 2nd. Cambridge, Mass. The historian offered three contradictory portrayals of the Empress.
Those whose interests are threatened by extreme danger should think only of the wisest course of action, not of conventions. The couple rebuilt the basilica, which was rededicated in 537. But on hearing this, Theodora prepared her own missionaries and wrote to the duke of Thebaid that he should delay her husband's embassy, so that the Miaphysite missionaries should arrive first. In Nobatae, south of Egypt, the inhabitants were converted to Miaphysite Christianity about 540.
Mosaic of Empress Theodora in San Vitale in Ravenna (Credit: Public domain).